A group of excited and dedicated students from Year 5, accompanied me to the Vincentian Youth Gathering held at the Xavier Centre in Wollongong. The theme of the gathering was Migrants and Asylum Seekers. Two guest speakers shared their experiences with us. 

Fr Nguyen, a refugee himself, shared his real life experience of being a refugee from the age of 16. He retold the story, sad and true, of having his mother’s gold wedding ring stolen and losing his 14 year old sister to pirates while floating in the vast sea. The students empathised and discussed their sadness with me. 

Mr Ray Thrift, our local Gwynneville Conference President, shared stories of people that St Vincent de Paul have assisted and sponsored, through the generosity of our community. He told us that his work was the work of the Gospels, following in the footsteps of Jesus. He is always grateful for the contributions we make as a school community. 

The simulation game, pretending to be refugees, was a fun, but also eye opening, in that we could see that refugees leave their homes with very little and then end up with even less. 

We came away with some great ideas for next year’s fundraising. It was an enjoyable and informative day for all of us!

Alina, Jasper, Leila, Kip and Ryder.

FUNDRAISING DRIVE FOR VINNIES VAN

SEASON OF CREATION

From September to October each year, the Christian community celebrates the Season of Creation by praying and acting together to protect our common home. During this time, Catholics unite with others in the global family to pray and protect every creature in God’s beautifully complex web of creation. The theme of this year’s Season of Creation celebration is “The Web of Life.” Pope Francis in calling us to an ecological conversion says that, “The annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation offers to individual believers and to the community a precious opportunity to renew our personal participation in this vocation to be custodians of creation.”

And so we pray:
 

Creator of Life,
 

The Earth is full of Your creatures, and by Your wisdom you made them all.
  At Your word, the Earth brought forth plants yielding seed of every kind and trees of every kind bearing fruit, the waters teemed with swarms of living creatures of every kind, and the world was filled with every kind of winged bird, walking animal, and creatures that creep upon the ground. Mountains, plains, rocks, and rivers shelter diverse communities, and through the changing seasons Your Spirit renews cycles of life.
 During this Season of Creation, open our eyes to see the precious diversity that is all around us. Enlighten our minds to appreciate the delicate balance maintained by each creature. Inspire us to conserve the precious habitats that nurture this web of life.
 In the name of the One who came to proclaim good news to all creation, Jesus Christ.


Amen.